J. Walcher Communications Founder Selects New CEO
From the San Diego Business Journal, Written by Madison Geering
SAN DIEGO – When Laura Walcher launched San Diego’s first woman-owned public relations (PR) firm from her kitchen table, her daughter, Jean Walcher, was watching.
Her mother’s work inspired Walcher to launch her own decades-long career in PR and eventually found her own firm, J. Walcher Communications (JWC), in 2001. One of Southern California’s longest-running PR agencies, JWC has earned national recognition, including a place on Forbes’ “Best PR Agencies in America” list.
Last month, the firm announced that Walcher would be passing the baton to Sandy Young, a 16-year veteran of the firm, long-time vice president and now the agency’s new CEO and owner.
“I think we talk the same talk,” Walcher said. “Sometimes, staff will ask us both the same question, and we’ll both give the exact same advice or direction. It’s amazing each time. She learned the ropes, which I learned from my mother, really well.”
While Young will assume leadership of the firm, Walcher will continue to mentor her, serve clients and lead business development initiatives.
“I had complete confidence and faith in her,” Walcher said. “She was ready to step up, and I was ready to step back.”
Young was named in San Diego Business Journal’s 2023 Asian Pacific Islander Leaders of Influence list and on SD Metro’s “Top Marketing Executives” list in 2022, along with Walcher.
“I would like to continue the strong tradition that the Walcher family has built in San Diego in PR and marketing,” Young said. “And continue to evolve as an agency providing whatever marketing services it is that clients need. That will continue to change with AI and generative engine optimization (GEO) and generative search optimization (GSO) and all the other things that will come in five years that we don’t even know about yet.”
As a full-service PR and marketing agency, JWC works with organizations including Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Policy & Innovation Center, City Heights Community Development Corporation, Greystar, the Invictus Games San Diego 2029 bid, Civico 1845 and Circulate San Diego.
Deepening A Local Legacy
The leadership transition has been in the works for about five years, Walcher said.
“It’s been a consistent conversation and a trust,” Walcher said. “She would have moved on at this point — gone to a bigger agency or gone in house to make more money or to start her own agency — because she certainly was certainly qualified in the last few years. But I knew that eventually I would want a succession plan, and she’s been loyal, smart and dedicated — she was the right one.”
Young spent over two decades working for boutique PR and marketing agencies in San Diego, arriving on JWC’s team in 2009.
“That client-first approach that really resonated with me. Jean really takes the time as an agency owner to pay attention to everything, to nurture everything,” Young said. “That was something that I found incredibly admirable, and it was somewhere I could continue to grow my career.”
JWC works with local, regional and national clients in sectors including hospitality, retail, real estate, nonprofit, arts, sports, entertainment, professional services, consumer products and more. The firm operates with five full-time employees and about six independent contractors.
As she assumes leadership, Young said that growing the San Diego office will be a priority.
‘The Edge of a Completely New Revolution’
JWC adapted through the digital and social media revolutions over the last two decades. The firm is preparing to make another pivot, according to its leaders.
“[The industry] completely changed 15 years ago, and now we are on the edge of a completely new revolution, which is AI,” Walcher said. “That’s also going to turn our industry on its head. It needs to be navigated quickly and well by the marketing industry.”
The advent of AI presents one of two major challenges that the media relations industry is facing, Young said.
“A lot of folks’ gut instinct is that AI means I can do PR and marketing by myself, and I don’t need outside support,” Young said. “We have seen what the ‘AI slop’ looks like — the amount of cliches and potentially damaging information as far as legal risks go. It’s really important to be using AI but using it in appropriate ways.”
JWC is establishing a new service line deepening its work with GEO and GSO as people have begun to rely increasingly on search engine AI overviews and AI chatbots.
The second challenge that Young observes is a shifting media landscape. She said that, while many perceive media outlets shrinking, they are actually shifting form from traditional outlets to channels like podcasts, social media and blogs.
Young plans to navigate that shift with the support of Walcher in her new role.
“Knowing that you have someone in your corner is something I try and emulate on a daily basis,” Young said. “Whether they need a cheerleader, a therapist or a boxing partner, the people you are working with daily, and see more than your family, are really important. When I saw how wholeheartedly [Walcher] did that on a regular basis… it made me realize this was the type of company culture I wanted to continue.”
J. Walcher Communications
FOUNDED: 2001
CEO: Sandy Young
HEADQUARTERS: San Diego
BUSINESS: Public Relations and Marketing
EMPLOYEES: 5
WEBSITE: www.jwalcher.com
CONTACT: pr@jwalcher.com
SOCIAL IMPACT: The PR and marketing agency works with some of San Diego’s top nonprofits, including Jewish Family Service, Policy & Innovation Center, and Circulate San Diego.
NOTABLE: Laura Walcher was the first female PR agency owner in San Diego. Her daughter Jean followed in her footsteps, and now new owner Sandy Young is the only female Asian CEO of a PR agency in San Diego.
